Sometimes the cheapest restoration plan is to leave the seed packets alone.
Research led by Professor Carl Sayer at UCL Geography found an abandoned farm field in North Norfolk developed into a species-rich wildflower meadow within 10 to 15 years, raising questions about common habitat restoration methods.
The study, published in Restoration Ecology, tracked plant life over 11 years, from 2011 to 2022, in a 2-hectare field at Bodham. Farming at the site ended after its final crop in 2005. Apart from a traditional annual hay cut, the field was largely left to recover without intervention.
Over time, the number and variety of plants increased, including locally rare species such as southern marsh orchid, greater tussock-sedge, yellow rattle and common centaury.
During the study period, the average number of plant species in each survey plot doubled, rising from about 10 species in 2011 to nearly 20 by 2022. As the meadow developed, thousands of orchids became established naturally. Populations of yellow rattle also increased.
The researchers said those findings challenge the assumption that restoring species-rich grassland requires commercial seed mixes or other expensive measures. They said natural ecological processes can restore biodiversity while preserving the genetic diversity of plants already adapted to the local area.
Professor Sayer, professor of limnology and freshwater ecology, said: “Our study shows that resisting seeding and allowing nature to lead may be worth trying a lot more in wildflower meadow restoration. Natural plant recovery better safeguards genetic diversity than seeding and ensures that local species thrive, making meadows less generic. As things stand the UK needs nature recovery fast, at big scales. In the push to achieve this goal our study poses the question: should we be employing patience over seed packet more often?”
Long-term ecological studies on the natural restoration of grasslands are uncommon because they depend on consistent monitoring over many years. The study focused on Sayer’s Meadow, on land owned by Professor Sayer’s father and co-author Derek Sayer.
Every two to three years, Professor Sayer and collaborator Pete Robinson conducted vegetation surveys, recording every plant species identified across the meadow and tracking changes within permanent survey plots.
The researchers think some of the meadow’s more unusual plants may have arrived without human help, possibly carried or dispersed by wildlife such as deer.
Professor Sayer said: “The field belongs to my family, and after an oilseed rape crop in 2005 we stopped farming it as the land was difficult to drain. I really wanted a wildflower meadow and all advice was to seed it, but I resisted the temptation, as I have always been interested in nature’s ability to recover itself.
“When the first orchids started appearing in our surveys, we were thrilled and now the meadow is unbelievably diverse, with thousands of orchids that delight locals in the village. Our study shows what can be achieved by a traditional hay cutting approach combined with nature’s brilliant spontaneity. A visit to the meadow is like stepping back through time.”
The paper is titled No need to seed: restoring species‐rich grassland on former arable fields by natural regeneration. It lists Carl D. Sayer, Peter Robinson, Derek C. G. Sayer and Jan C. Axmacher as authors.
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